LAW #8 – The Law of Break The Rules!

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “So, John, you’ve got these laws, and we have to admit, they are incredible! But what if a training scenario doesn’t quite fit your laws?” Well, I’m glad you asked incredibly perceptive, if not entirely random, readers. And the answer is: you have to break the rules. That’s right, I said it! I know. I’m a renegade. A bad seed. A rebel with a blog and microphone.

Ok, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far, but the truth is, there are times when the rules really don’t make sense for your training situation. That’s why the 8th and final rule in this series is “The Law Of Break The Rules." Maybe there are times when a binder is needed. I can’t for the life of me think of one, but maybe? There will definitely be times when the learner doesn’t fit the mold of your typical trainee. Maybe the course calls for 5 days of training but they are so far advanced that they get it in 3. Are you going to punish them because they are smart or experienced enough by making them stay in training for 2 days longer than needed? I don't think so people! To quote Jeff Goldblume in The Switch (a very under-rated movie), "Oh, that's ill-advised!"

Conversely, there are times when someone has gone through training. They work their butt off. They show promise. They’ve got all the fancy book learnin’ they are going to get but they still haven’t quite got it down pat. Are you going to give up on them? No, of course not. There are just too many instances of someone taking a bit longer to learn something but when given extra time, they become one of your more valuable team members. I bet you can think of at least one person like that right now. It may even be you.

So I guess what I’m saying is, the 7 previous laws we’ve discussed are great guidelines for training and developing almost everyone in the world. Sometimes however, there is a need to do it completely differently. The trick is to always keep the trainee in mind first. Whatever you have to do, however you have to train it, make sure you put that learner in whatever position necessary to be successful. If that means training them different than others in their position, so be it. Every individual learns differently. Teach them in the language they’ll learn in.

Thanks so much for reading this series. Now in future blogs we’ll get into some learning and leadership topics that hopefully you’ll find interesting and we’ll have some laughs along the way. In fact, by popular demand, my next blog will be an updated “If I ruled the world” blog. Stay tuned and as always, have a great day and make it count!